Urspelt Castle (french: Château d'Urspelt) is located in the little village of Urspelt some 3 km (2 mi) north-east of

Clervaux Clervaux (; lb, Clierf or (locally) ; german: Clerf) is a commune and town in northern Luxembourg, administrative capital of the canton of Clervaux. The town's arms, granted in 1896, show three blackbirds on a gold ground in the chief of a red ...

in northern

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

. Though the castle has a history going back at least three centuries, today's building dates from 1860. After comprehensive restoration work and additions, it recently opened as a hotel and meeting centre."Le Château d’Urspelt"
''Wunnen'', 23 January 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2011.

History

The origins of the castle go back more than 300 years when it was a small country property. Then in 1860, Amand Bouvier considerably expanded it. A new garden was laid out, now one of the area's most notable parks with its avenues and elm trees. When Bouvier died in 1900, he left a magnificent estate to his nephew Alfred Bouvier but he and his descendants failed to show much interest in the property. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the Germans used the castle as their headquarters for northern Luxembourg until they were forced to abandon it to the Americans during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

in the winter of 1944. It was a command post of Lieutenant Colonel Donald Paul, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry. After the war, the castle fell into disrepair and was used only as a hunting lodge. Towards the end of the 20th century, the deserted building was increasingly invaded by the surrounding undergrowth. Finally, in August 2005, Freddy Lodomez bought the property and immediately embarked on comprehensive restoration work which continued for three years as the building was fitted out as a luxury hotel. An old well, apparently dating back to an 11th-century stronghold, was found and renovated. A second tower was added at the far end of the castle to house a lift.

The castle today

Since August 2008, the building has functioned as a hotel with restaurant and conference centre."Meeting Point Luxembourg"
''Ministère des Classes moyennes et du Tourisme'', 2011, p. 45. Retrieved 1 April 2011.

References

{{coord, 50, 04, 28, N, 6, 02, 43, E, display=title Clervaux Castles in Luxembourg Convention centres in Luxembourg Hotels in Luxembourg Castles in the Ardennes (Luxembourg) Castles in the Eifel